Pan-Africanism

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Pan-Africanism literally means 'all Africanism'. It is a sociopolitical world-view, as well as a movement, which seeks to unify and uplift both native Africans and those of the African diaspora, as part of a "global African community".

Pan-Africanism - promotion of the cultural unity of African people struggling for freedom. African cultures and countries including those in the African Diaspora.^{[citation needed]} Haile Sellassie is also a key figure in Pan-Africanism due to his call for greater unity among African Nations. Controversially Muammar al-Gaddafi has in recent years been the most dominate/active organizer of African unity and has proposed the formation, based upon Kwame Nkrumahs dream, of a United States of Africa. ^{[citation needed]} Many have issues with his efforts because he is an Arab-African ^{[citation needed]}

1 Concept
2 Pan-African Banner
3 Branches of Pan-Africanism
4 Africentric Pan-Africanism
5 Criticism
6 External links
7 References

[edit] Concept

As originally conceived by Henry Sylvestre-Williams (note: some history books credit this idea to Edward Wilmot Blyden) pan-Africanism referred to the unity of all continental Africa (excluding North Africa) ^{[citation needed]}. The concept soon expanded, however, to include those who had been dispersed to the United States of America.

During apartheid South Africa there was a Pan Africanist Congress that dealt with the oppression of South Africans under European apartheid rule. Other pan-Africanist organizations include Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association-African Communities League, TransAfrica and the Internal Peoples Democratic Uhuru Movement.

[edit] Pan-African Banner

The red, black, and green flag represent Pan-Africanism: the red standing for the blood men must shed for their redemption and liberty, the green standing for the vegetation, and the black for people of African descent themselves. Also used in the pan-African movement are the Ethiopian colors red, gold and green. The red and green standing for the same principles as Garvey's flag and the gold for the mineral wealth of Ethioipia/Africa.

[edit] Branches of Pan-Africanism

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A popular branch of the pan-African movement is the Afrocentric movement, of whom Cheikh Anta Diop and his "ideological son" Molefi Kete Asante are the champions.^{[citation needed]} This movement centers on re-examining African history from a pro-African perspective as opposed to a pro-European one, a return to traditional African concepts and culture and often espouses the view that Egypt and some other civilizations were and should be acknowledged as having African origin.

The African Code is a “symbol of unity” which promotes a “moral” African code to be adopted across and beyond borders. It stresses unity through diversity based upon the 7 key principles; derived from Kwanza. The African Code is not an organization but a intersection of a global Pan-African ethos for unity via diversity. <ref name="African Code">"African Code About" "African Code Status".</ref>

Also related to Pan-Africanism is the academic discipline of Pan-African Studies. Departments of Pan-African Studies have existed in many North American universities since the 1960s. See also African studies.

[edit] Africentric Pan-Africanism

Africentric like Afrocentric of whom Dr. Kwabena Faheem Ashanti, Ph.D espouses this view in his book The Psychotechnology of Brainwashing: Crucifying Willie Lynch.Another newer movement that has evolved from the early Afrocentric school is the Afrisecal movement or Afrisecaism of Dr Francis Ohanyido a Nigerian Philosopher- Poet. <ref name="Bio Ohanyido">"African Resource" " Francis Ohanyido Bio".</ref> Also associated with pan-Africanism is Black Nationalism.

[edit] Criticism

Pan-Africanism is often criticized for overlooking the cultural and ethnic differences of African people as well as different socio-political circumstances among people of African decent worldwide.^{[citation needed]} Pan-Africanism has been stigmatized for being a emotional political idealism that is trying to unite a group of people who have no commonality other than shared oppression. And because of this simplistic nature fails to work in the real world.^{[citation needed]}

One point of interest in Pan-Africanism was the role of Muammar al-Gaddafi. Many object to his role as "leader" of the Pan-African struggle because of race, but equally it is impossible to discount his enormous contributions to galvanizing the movement in recent years, beyond rhetoric.^{[citation needed]}